‘Star Trek’ scribe Damon Lindelof wants his sci-fi work to be accessible, but he still scores serious geek points

Geekscorecard

Lindelof was 5 when “Star Trek: The Motion Picture” was released in 1979 and 4 when the first “Star Wars” came out. (+25 for influence)

Lindelof’s first actual “Star Trek” exposure: At age 11 he saw “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan,” which is argued to be one of the best “Treks” of all time. (+10 for luck)

His story: “I was at summer camp (in northern New Jersey) and it was raining, so they put all the kids on a bus and brought us to a movie theater to see ‘Wrath of Khan.’

I hadn’t seen the TV show or the first movie, I just kind of understood that the guy with pointy ears is a buzzkill, the guy in the captain’s chair is a wisenheimer, ﻿and the doctor is a curmudgeon.

“But we all loved it. When it was over, everyone in the theater started chanting ‘a-gain! a-gain!’ ”

And yes, they did show it to those campers again. (+10 for enthusiasm, -15 for watching out of order)

Does Lindelof attend Comic-Con? Yes. “I go every year even if I don’t have anything to promote.” (+50 for awesomeness)

Does he dress up at Comic-Con? No. (-10 for not totally committing)

What does he think about fans, especially “Trek” fans? “I think about fans fairly compulsively and, speaking for myself, J.J. (Abrams) and the producers, we count ourselves among them.

“When we were making ‘Trek,’ we had conversations and shouting matches about what we felt the fans wanted to see, which wasn’t always a unilateral idea. Some fans do want to see certain things, others don’t. In a way, you’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t.” (+20 for effort)

Lindelof’s geekiest moment: Stalking George Lucas at Disneyland as a tween.

He told “The Hollywood Reporter” that he left a line he’d been standing in for 40 minutes because he saw the “Star Wars” director walk by. Lindelof’s dad took a picture of Lindelof standing at an elevator with Lucas in the background. (+50 for dedication)

Is Lindelof involved in the upcoming Abrams “Star Wars” reboot? No. But there’s a Facebook page called “Lindelof and (“Lost” co-writer Carlton) Cuse should write Star Wars.” (-50 for disappointment)

Actual future project: He’s working on another sci-fi movie, “Tomorrowland,” starring George Clooney. (+10 because it’s too soon to tell)

Relevant past projects: Lindelof also wrote the “Alien” prequel “Prometheus” and the sci-fi Western “Cowboys & Aliens.” (+25 and -25, respectively.)

Official stance on the Kepler planets, which could potentially host life: “I’d be much more excited if we could get there in less than 7,000 years. But it is a reason to start working on Warp engines.” (+50 for inspiring future Warp engineers)

Total points: 150

Official geek status: Confirmed!

“Star Trek Into Darkness”

Rating: PG-13

When: Now playing

Where: Wide release

Running time: 2 hours, 3 minutes

Review: Nina Garin’s review appeared in Thursday's Night & Day. It is available at
utsandiego.com.

Though many people wouldn’t recognize Damon Lindelof if he was in line behind them at Starbucks, he’d without a doubt be completely mobbed at a place like Comic-Con.

That’s because that guy with chunky glasses and shaved head, who could himself be confused as a barista, is behind-the-scenes famous. He’s one of Hollywood’s most powerful writers and producers, associated with so many geek-approved projects.

Lindelof has two big-budget movies being released this summer: “Star Trek Into Darkness” (which opened this week) and the upcoming (and dramatically troubled) zombie thriller “World War Z.”

Oh, and he’s also the co-creator and former show-runner of the TV series “Lost.” But don’t hold that against him.

As he eloquently writes on his Twitter bio: “Yeah, I’m one of the idiots behind Lost. And no, I don’t understand it either.”

During a phone interview from London, Lindelof said he wants his work to be relatable, even to those fans who wouldn’t recognize him on the street. And that includes making “Star Trek Into Darkness” accessible to new fans.

“The perception out there is that ‘Trek’ is a very inside club,” he said. “And not only is it inaccessible, it doesn’t even want you to watch. But that’s not really the case with our movie; everybody’s welcome.”

Wait a minute, a world where “Star Trek” is targeted to everyone? Does this power writer still carry enough geek credibility to hold the keys to the storied Trek franchise or is he too mainstream?

Let’s take a look at facts and details from the recent phone chat and add it up (see above right).